Hero's Journey Peek #24

The Rakshaal are not native to the world of Elanthia. Rather, they come from Eisa, the Plane of Darkness. Before the Sundering, they arrived only as summoned servants of the Arcanum. Accountings describe them as handsome, with solid-colored eyes and leathery skin. However, those that visit now come on their own, and are twisted into monsters in transit. Among the three most familiar types, both the Vaklash and Gorrog possess supernatural powers, and enough intelligence to act as war-animals or independently, while the clever Ilorax are natural leaders that love battle, preferring to lead from the front, not the back.

In Hero's Journey, a fantasy persistent state world being developed by a pioneer in the category, Simutronics, the otherworldly Rakshaal are one of the external threats to a society working to recover from a devastating war. Gathered under the banner of the Triumvirate, the people are attempting to repair the results of their ancestors' misdeeds. However, the factions of Nature, Magic and Gear don't always get along, and sadly, private agendas, greed, the blinding desire for power, and simple malevolence also stand in the way. In this series, the team has agreed to tell us more about its intriguing project.

Includes three exclusive concept images and an exclusive screenshot

Lorstra and the Soul Singers

As revered and influential as the gods of the Trium are among the scattered inhabitants of Elanthia, there is another charismatic deity whose worship infiltrated the lands roughly four years after the Sundering.

the so-called Favored Son, the Human leader of the Soul Singers. Some consider him to be a living god. Others would not go that far, insisting he is nothing more than an intelligent (and politically well-connected) zealot.

Considered the abiding spirit of a reconciled Elanthia by her followers, Lorstra, the Chantress, rose to prominence shortly after the Triad of Temsyne, Urwir and Takut. She is celestially distinct, however; her deistic agenda runs contrary to their very existence.

Lorstra concept

Though Lorstra herself is somewhat aloof and prudent, she is nevertheless regarded as the divine mother - one who constantly works toward reconciliation in all things. Whether it is the reuniting of a fractured plane or the repairing of a fractured family in one's neighborhood, Lorstra possesses the purity and empathy of heart to see the matter through. She is called the Chantress for the simple reason that music follows her wherever she wanders.

Worshippers of Lorstra, known as Soul Singers, are frugal and sectarian, dismissing the Triad as pretender numina that interfere with Lorstra's ability to return the world to its former, plenary existence. They reject the notion of the Inner and Outer Triangle, believing them to be an illusion created to separate one from the truth; that Elanthia needs neither Magic nor Gear, only the adoration and penitence of her children. They believe that the only way the world will heal is for the false gods to be cast aside, and for Magic and Gear to be abandoned.

Lorstra head concept

The relationship between the Triumvirate and the Soul Singers is oftentimes tentative. Mutterings abound that the Soul Singers are simply biding their time before turning to violence to see their agendas imposed on all of Elanthia. Nothing can be proven, of course, and the leaders of the Soul Singers quickly react with shock and disgust when anyone suggests to them the very idea that their people might have ulterior motives. But rumors persist, and the powerful among the Triumvirate's council cannot completely disregard them.

As much as they do not wish to support the Triumvirate, the Soul Singers still want to see Elanthia unified - they simply do not want to see this unity won using Gear and Magic. On the other hand, the Triumvirate cannot see any other way for Elanthia to be reunited but through the application of widgetry and wizardry. And yet, Soul Singers have their place in the Triumvirate, albeit as outsiders and advisors who add skeptical and critical advice to Triumvirate plans on world healing.

Lorstra shrine concept

Younger Soul Singers are allowed more freedoms than their elders. As a Soul Singer ages and refines his or her wisdom, they are encouraged to gradually strip away their material needs and become ascetics. It is the belief of the Soul Singers, however, that this must be a choice, not an imposition.

While the dress of Soul Singer elders may be simplistic, their views are anything but. Lorstra represents many things beyond the unification of Elanthia. She is therefore known by several names including the Reunited One, the Pure Lady, Queen of the Spheres, Heaven's Song, and Shining Muse.

A fallen Lorstra shrine

There is some evidence that Lorstra may hearken back to the pre-Sundering world. Key facets of the Soul Singer faith, such as their practice of ancestral worship and their adherence to daily devotions, suggest that they are modeled on an obscure sect loyal to the one Creator. This may explain why the Soul Singers have managed to take hold so quickly and firmly in a cosmos that otherwise dismisses their beliefs as spurious and idyllic.

The one person who may know for certain is the so-called Favored Son, the Human leader of the Soul Singers. Some consider him to be a living god. Others would not go that far, insisting he is nothing more than an intelligent (and politically well-connected) zealot.